Merge Healthcare has announced that its iConnect Network has received 19 contracts in the first quarter following its debut. The interoperability network facilitates the exchange of clinical data, allowing facilities to increase their referrals and meet Meaningful Use Stage 2 (MU2) requirements. Organizations that have partnered with Merge include MBB Radiology in Jacksonville, Fla; Radiology Imaging Associates PC in Denver, Colo; Southwest Diagnostic Imaging Center in Dallas, Tex; St Paul Radiology in St Paul, Minn; and Washington Radiology Associates PC in Fairfax, Va.

iConnect version 2.0, the network’s latest edition, enables customers to natively deliver radiology reports to electronic health records without building custom interfaces. New tools also capture information necessary for MU attestation such as when a report was delivered, its recipient, and the report access date. Physicians can also access more in-depth reporting via embedded links to uploaded images in the report.

“We’ve worked with Merge for several years, leveraging their PACS and cardiology solutions, so it was an easy choice to implement Merge’s vendor-neutral archive and iConnect Network for a comprehensive, enterprise-wide imaging strategy,” said Dave Holland, CIO at Southern Illinois Healthcare, the first hospital to adopt the iConnect network. “Despite having a health information exchange in place, we needed a single solution that handles imaging as it becomes more important to healthcare as a whole. With iConnect Network, we’ll meet MU2 requirements for the exchange of images and, most importantly, enable better access to imaging for physicians in order to provide the best care for our patients.”

For more information, visit Merge Healthcare.